Brian Keating

Last year I started the 1st of April. I will probably push everything back two weeks this year. Rain was a killer last spring. My target is April 15th ish.

Try going to the Pump Tec website. They have all of the parts for the Decker 5er. www.pumptec.com

We also have a prelit artificial tree. The best thing about it is that you don't have to spend hours each year putting the lights on the tree and taking them off. I can set the tree up in about 15 minutes and the taking it down only takes about 10 minutes. It is a huge time saver.

Happy Birthday Scott!

My chat logon is not working either.

I like the name and logo. The name is very creative and the logo is simple, clean and catches your eye. Now you just have to hire some swimsuit models to wear the bikini's Ryan designed to clean for you. I know a lot of guys that would hire you in a heart beat with that crew. LOL

I would charge $700-$750 depending on how difficult a strip job it would be.

I feel the same way about basketball as your wife does about NASCAR. I haven't watch a full game on TV since Jordan retired. I've been to a couple games but really lost interest. It's just not the same!

Good one! That brought a smile to my face.

The only time I have gotten a flu shot was about three years ago. The funny thing is, I had the flu worse that year then I think I have ever had it in my life. I was sick for probably 10 days. The flu virus is constantly changing and I feel by the time you get the shot the flu virus is probably different then it was when the vaccine was made.

Will you be installing a new powerwash on the bucket truck?

I'm not sure if Alpha Craft is completely leaving the business. He has equipment for sale but said he may still work part-time. He is thinking about doing something else.

Have you tried oxalic acid to remove the stains? It will remove rust stains so I'm guessing it will remove the mulch stains.

Shart Brown If you saw the movie "Along Came Polly" you'll know what a Shart is.

Nick, What I would do is go back to the house next year and leave your card and a free estimate for the same amount you quoted the current owner. I guarantee the deck is going to have to be redone next year. The other thing is don't lower your price to compete with low ballers. If you do you will be out of business just as quick as them. I see a couple a year and they usually don't last the whole season. Another thing is, get a website to display your before and after pictures. It is very professional and not thiat difficult to maintain. People love to look at pictures online.

Jon, Which Osborn brush do you use to defelt? I looked at their website and there are 100's of them.

Pig vomit green or bloody stool red

I am building a 3 car garage and want to seal the concrete flood. How long should I wait after it is poured to seal it? Also, how many square feet per gallons can I expect? The floor will be 700 square feet.

Thanks, Beth. I will probably be ordering some soon. As soon as it stops raining here they are going to start the concrete. That will probably be next spring based on the weather we are getting.

Charlie, I haven't bought it yet. Beth sells it so I was hoping she would respond. I was hoping to get a answer to the questions before I ordered.

I just did a 20x16 floor and it came up with $174. That is 54 cents a square foot. I think I will stick to my own way of estimating. I would charge at least $400 for a 320 square foot deck without a railing and no steps.

CannonW, Start with a weaker stripper solution. If the previous stain is not coming off then increase to full strength. Your dwell time may have been to long as well. Start with a 5 min. dwell time and increase from there. Also remember that cedar is a very soft wood and furring is pretty hard to avoid when using strippers.

Ryan is correct. You want to neutralize the chemicals after they have done their job. You are defeating the purpose if you mix the two. On the pH scale the EFC-38 is probable around a 12 on the base (caustic) side and the citralic is a 1 or 2 on the acidic side. Neutral pH is 8. You need to do a light cleaning of the deck. You need to make sure the surface is clean before you stain/seal it. The acid will not clean the dirt off.

I took the Sun Brite course a couple years back and learned a ton. Chris and Pete put together a very thorough coarse that cover wood restoration and running your business. I highly recommend it.

I charge $20 per board. If the board is in a high traffic area I usually suggest moving a board from a less visible place to that area and replacing that one with a new board. In this example I would charge $30 per board.